The Ten Best Media Training Quotes Ever
I’m a bit of a word nerd.
I jot down every good media training quote I hear. I occasionally get to use one of the witty quotes in a speech or training session. But too many of the quotes just sit, unused, in a computer file.
They shall remain unused no longer. Today, I present ten of my favorite media training quotes ever.
MEDIA INTERVIEWING QUOTES
1. “Does anyone have any questions for my answers?” – Henry Kissinger
2. “It is always a risk to speak to the press: they are likely to report what you say.” – Hubert H. Humphrey
3. “The most guileful amongst the reporters are those who appear friendly and smile and seem to be supportive. They are the ones who will seek to gut you on every occasion.” – Edward Koch
4. “The questions don’t do the damage. Only the answers do.” – Sam Donaldson
MESSAGE DEVELOPMENT QUOTES
5. “I am sorry for such a long letter. I didn’t have time to write a short one.” – Mark Twain (also attributed to others)
6. “Short words are the best and old words when short are the best of all.” – Winston Churchill
CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS QUOTES
7. “By the time you hear the thunder, it’s too late to build the ark.” – Unknown
8. “It takes a lifetime to build a reputation and only a few seconds to destroy one.” – Unknown
9. “If it’s going to come out eventually, better have it come out immediately.” – Henry A. Kissinger
10. “Always acknowledge a fault frankly. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you opportunity to commit more.” – Mark Twain
Like these quotes? Here are ten more! The Ten Best Media Training Quotes Ever (Part Two)
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“If you can’t convince them, confuse them.” – Harry Truman
“You must be present to win.” – Las Vegas casino rule
“You can’t argue with success.” – Wall Street wisdom
“With paper you cannot extiguish a fire.” – old Chinese proverb
And two more:
“People forget what you say but they remember how you made them feel.” – Warren Beatty
“Show, don’t tell.” – Hollywood scriptwriting principle
Sander – Thanks for leaving the great quotes! I love the Warren Beatty one – he’s exactly right.
“If the explanation takes longer than the accusation,you are probably in big trouble.”
Richard – Wow, that’s a great one – have never heard that before. Do you happen to know the source?
Brad, this one crosses media, PR and presentation skills and is very topical. Two BBC TV news presenters yesterday were discussing Libya leader Colonel Gaddafi’s much-derided 45 minute TV message to the nation. One of them, with a completely straight and serious face says to the other as they were wrapping up: “I don’t think he’s got a PR firm helping helping him.”
Hah! That’s a good one – I can’t imagine P.R. firms are lining up to work with Colonel Gaddafi these days…
“Well if you think you’ve understood what I was saying, I obviously didn’t explain myself properly.” – Alan Greenspan
“I have never quite grasped the worry about the power of the press. After all, it speaks with a thousand voices, in constant dissonance.” –Eric Sevareid
“Never argue with a fool. A bystander can’t tell who the fool is.”
Brad…Re your question about where the “If the explanation takes longer than the accusation, you’re probably in big trouble” comes from…I don’t know. I heard someone say it in passing years ago and I use it media training. I don’t claim it, necessarily, but use it for illustration purposes.
Here is another from the late great NBC newsman, Edwin Newman….”What you’re wearing shouldn’t get in the way of what you are saying.”
People more readily forgive mistakes than they do arrogance.
Good PR isn’t the cure for bad decision making. If you want “Good Press,” run a good program.
This has always been one of my favorites.
“if I know the answer, I’ll give you and answer…if I don’t, I’ll just respond cleverly” – Donald Rumsfeld
“A bad reputation is a burden, very easy to lift, very heavy to carry on and very difficult to unload”. Hesiodo, 700 B.C Greek poet
“You cannot communicate your way out of what you behave your way into.” Wish I knew who to attribute it to.
[…] crisis communication plans maintain the best reputations. And as Warren Buffett famously said, “It takes a lifetime to build a reputation and only a few seconds to destroy one.” A demonstration in downtown […]